Independent shops in a 200 year old building in Broadmead

Broadmead is home to many shops and two shopping centres, the soon to be closed Galleries and Cabot Circus. But hidden amongst the crowds and ever-changing landscape is The Arcade, a small row of mostly independent shops that connects The Horsefair to Broadmead town centre.

There are 15 independent shops within The Arcade, with two other shops in the middle. We visited The Arcade on an early Friday afternoon and to our surprise it was very quiet.

Thinking maybe it was just a slow afternoon, I ventured over to Cabot Circus to find it busy and full of people, and there were plenty of shoppers in Broadmead itself. The building has a historic presence as it is a Grade II listed building celebrating its 200th birthday.

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Starting at Broadmead, the first thing I noticed was a new brand entering The Arcade. Black Sheep Coffee is set to move into the building, taking the spot just off the alley entrance.

The independent shops inside are a mix of Bristol legends and small businesses looking to make a name for themselves. On the right is Mabz, a key cutting, watch and shoe repair shop.

Speaking in 2018, Mabz said: “It’s all about the memories, people in Bristol have been shopping at The Arcade since the 1800s and with the range of other independent shops here it makes it unique in Bristol, if not the UK . It’s one of the main reasons our city is so unique, people start small businesses and the community appreciates it.”

You can find a wide range of unique shops, from vintage clothing store Sobeys to health store Dr & AcuHerbs and tailor Needle & Thread. But it’s not hard to miss the empty lots in the building.

Not including the soon-to-open cafe, there are three empty shops. Funky Phones, Afro Street and EK Hair. Some shops are still thriving here, with Milanese Hair Salon and Kelly’s Nails both filled with waiting customers, and Sobeys always has a number of people shopping for a vintage look.

Taste of Napoli is on The Horsefair, on the edge of The Arcade, and has been run by owner Carmine Montuori since 2016. In 2021, he told Bristol Live that families were being turned away from Broadmead because of anti-social behaviour.

Carmine said: “Coming to Broadmead is not very pleasant these days, especially for families with children, and that is sad because this is the face of the town centre. It’s gotten worse in the five years I’ve been here. There are more people sleeping rough and more people begging outside the cafe.”

“We need to protect Broadmead even more now because things are bad after Brexit and the pandemic anyway. A lot of places have closed, including Debenhams, so it’s not a good situation.”

On a busy weekend you’ll often find people walking up and down The Arcade looking at the independent shops, but on days like this when very few people venture into The Arcade, it’s a reminder of its fragile state of independent shops in Bristol. Green Fingers, a plant shop, once had a stall in The Arcade but only lasted less than a year despite its social media popularity.

As the changes are aligned with the future of The Galleries and Debenhams which will see both institutions destroyed and the city center pedestrianization scheme in the works, it is anyone’s guess how independent stores will survive.

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